Folic

The folic acid used in fortified foods poses greater health risks than naturally occurring folates.

The epidemiologist studied Norwegian babies born with cleft lip, cleft palate or both. He asked their mothers to recall whether they had taken pre-natal vitamins, or eaten diets high in folic acid and other folates. The usual amount of folic acid in prenatal vitamins is 400 micrograms.

It is especially abundant in green leaves of many kinds, including grass. Because of this fact, and since we have obtained what appears to be a nearly pure chemical entity, we suggest the name folic acid (Latin, folium—leaf).